Alex Cote

It’s here! The Nintendo Switch has finally released and is now in the hands of gamers all around the world. We are now able to experience what the creative minds at Nintendo cooked up for us! The NintendoSwitch is the successor of the less than successful Wii U. The Wii U had many great games but not enough adopters, forcing Nintendo to move on. However, is the Switch able to do what the Wii U could not? Should you, as a gamer, take a chance on the Switch? Should you Switch it up?

I’ll start off with the physical aspect of the console. I think it’s important to understand what the console looks like and how small it is. The dock doesn’t contain much as it has 3 major parts, which house everything. It has 2 USB ports on the side and a third hidden behind where the AC adapter and the HDMI cables plug in. A part opens up to reveal the HDMI and AC Adapter port behind, and keep things tidy by bringing the cables to one side. It’s all plastic and the dock is very light weight. I would be afraid to drop that as it feels like it could break. The AC adapter cable is also shorter than you would expect and with a dock that would need to be easily accessible, it’s a problem. The AC adapter was not providing me with a lot of room for placing that dock next to my TV. The HDMI cable was of normal length and seems to be the standard cable that comes with most devices these days. The dock is also as wide as the screen is, only the Joy-Con sticks out if they are left on. The part where you put the screen has the micro USB connector in the middle, a bit of plastic to direct the screen in its proper place and that’s it. There’s nothing to secure the screen in or to prevent it from moving. It’s annoying particularly when you are trying to remove the Joy-Con from the sides. Lastly, the dock has the front plate with the logo and a small light at the bottom left to indicate that it’s connected to the TV when the screen has been set in.

Alright, enough on the dock and more on the rest. The screen and main processing unit is about as heavy as a 3DS XL, maybe a little bit more. The Switch is bigger than a closed Nintendo 3DS XL and not much wider than the bottom part of the 3DS. It’s rather interesting how compact it is. Each sides are for the Joy-Con where you slide them. The top part has the power and volume buttons, the headset port, the heatsink exhaust and the game cartridge port. The bottom part has the micro USB port for the AC adapter and 2 small holes to steady the screen on a stand. The back of the console has the mini stand to prop the console on a hard surface. Under that small stand leg, you have the space for the microSD card, which is necessary to obtain if you decide to download games. The console only has 32 GB of space and the OS takes 6 GB of that. There’s also 2 speaker in the back and the logo. The speakers are nice for the simple fact you won’t need a headset, but they don’t get very loud even at max volume. The front is the touch screen and it takes about 90% of the surface. Screen protectors are highly recommended, as Nintendo does not include anything of the sort even as a temporary protection. It’s definitely portable and I can easily see it replace my 3DS if they can get the same type of support on it. It could be fun to have a Pokémon game on the Switch for that. The stand behind is also a nice addition. I like that I’m able to set it up as a little screen and can just pick up the Joy-Con and play instead of the whole thing. Heck, I’ve been just doing that while I am writing this. There has been rumors going around that the skins you can buy to put on the Joy-Con and the Switch itself (not the dock) can actually remove the paint of the Switch. It’s only a rumor, I haven’t seen any proof of that or felt like it could happen other than where the logo is located. I would still not take a chance.

Now to the cartridge, they are significantly smaller than the ones you see for the 3DS. It will be quite easy to lose and/or break them. The connectors for the cartridge take almost half the space behind and the front is simply the sticker for the game. The other small factor form of this console is the actual controllers, the Joy-Con. They fit really well in the palm of your hand and they’re quite comfortable to hold. It’s actually much more comfortable to use them in the individual hands than to use the grip to bring both together. Sliding the Joy-Con in any of the accessories is easy but removing out of the accessory not as much. First, when the Switch is in the dock, you have to keep the Switch down to slide out the Joy-Con and that means the Switch won’t stay firmly in the dock so it will disconnect and reconnect. The straps that you can put on are actually the hardest to remove. Every time I try to remove them, I have to hold the strap, awkwardly try to press the release button behind the Joy-Con and try to hold the Joy-Con while I try to slide off the strap. It’s very annoying and takes more time than it should. I’m hoping that with use, the sliding out will actually be easier but I’m not holding my breath on that for now. The part on the Joy-Con is in plastic but the strap part that slides is metal so wear and tear will not happen fast. Color wise, I like the blue and not so much the neon red. It looks more pink than red but it still beats just having that gray/black Joy-Con. I’m thinking of just getting an extra blue and an extra red eventually to round up the numbers. The cost of these things though is very high. I find the Joy-Con to be the best part of the Switch so far. There’s been report of connectivity issues but from 7 to 8 meters away, I have not experienced any problems nor did it seems to cause issues even if the couch was in the way. It’s been very responsive so far. I can’t comment much on the whole vibration feature as the games I own doesn’t seem to make much use of it. It seems to be something that will barely be used and might be a waste of technological improvement.

The OS seems very light. When you press the power button, it takes about 15 seconds to get to news. It’s a bit weird really. You get the news on the side and then pretty much emptiness on the rest. I hope they do more with this because it’s kind of a loss of space. If you decide not to check the news, you get right away to the Home Menu and access to your games. The interface is fine but rather large. It feels like they could not figure out what they wanted to do with it but it’s doing the job. Upon the first boot up, you have to do a quick set up. Asks for a username and profile image or Mii, set up the wireless connection and the region and you are almost done. The initial set up doesn’t ask you to link your Nintendo account or, make you set up the Nintendo eShop. It will ask you if you want to put parental control but I would have liked if it went through a few more of the settings. I had to go through all the settings to make sure I had what I wanted. The Nintendo eShop set up was very annoying, I had to create a new password if I didn’t want people to have access to my user eShop, though I had already a password for the account. It was a pretty pointless step. It also required that a 4 digit code be sent to my email because it almost acted as a password reset. The games open up fast after you are requested to select a user (it can be changed in the options but not all game will skip that). I seriously can’t give it that many praise, I’ve found a few annoying things like the Joy-Con charge level doesn’t display other than in the controller section of the Home Menu.
One of my Joy-Con seems to lose it’s charge much faster than the other. The charge while on the go is not bad but don’t expect a charge like the 3DS. It’s hard to say if it’s the Switch or the game but I’ve found out that it was having problems rendering graphics as it stuttered once or twice while on the dock. There’s no music for the Home Menu, there’s only sound effects. It makes it really quiet and you wonder if everything is working. The un-docked experience is smooth enough but I don’t know if at that price point I want to go out in the cold and bring it with me. It’s also lacking so much connectivity wise. I found out how to link things to my Facebook and Twitter accounts but there’s no other options and if you want to play with friends, be ready to message them very long friend codes. You can’t even search for people. That’s another thing, trying to find your friend code. It’s not obvious but the icon for whatever you chose is a menu as well with user settings, profile information and friend lists. That’s where the social media settings are too. The experience it provides is definitely not the best we’ve gotten from Nintendo. There’s a lot of work left for them to do and we will see several patches in the first year alone to fix and smooth out the experience.

There was also a day one patch. I have not been able to say if that had improvements to the OS or not but it added online play and friend lists. It added the function to share screenshots on Facebook and Twitter and added the eShop. It also added the function for the TV to turn on when the Switch is in the dock and turned on. However, that should not have required a day one patch. It’s something that should have been part of the console before it was brought home. I wish Nintendo would understand gamers want online features and a proper online multiplayer experience. I guess we’ll see the direction they decide to take.

I asked myself, was it worth it to buy a Switch on launch and can I convince people to do the same? My answer is no. I can’t promote this console or recommend that you should get it on launch. If you’re a Nintendo fan or an avid Legend of Zelda player, chances are that you own a Wii U already and you should just keep to your Wii U because at this point, the only game I see a real worth to it is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and that is also on Wii U. The Switch is a great concept but it is currently lacking a wow factor. It’s not bringing anything that you can’t find elsewhere and only Nintendo first party games would be a reason for the Switch. For now, there’s not enough to warrant to switch it up. This console might become something better as time goes and as such I will keep it around and see. The Nintendo Switch released on March 3rd 2017.

The Nintendo Switch is almost upon us. After years of speculation and questions, we will finally be able to play, and have in our possession, the latest hardware from Nintendo. Will its transportable design win the heart of gamers, like the Wii did? Or, are we on the verge of seeing a second failure of epic proportion, as the Wii U was for Nintendo? Well, I’m afraid only time and numbers will tell! Meanwhile, let’s just enjoy it while we can. Check back with us for a full hardware review of the Nintendo Switch in the few days following its launch!

Whether you call it Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve or Halloween, everyone knows of October 31st and the customs that surround it. While you might be more of the let’s go get candies or let’s get drunk in a costume and party, you still have your own tradition. This year, I decided to share my own traditions and what I will be adding to it.

I will start with what I usually do. As it’s been the case since 2008, I will be watching this awesome movie called Trick ‘r Treat. A horror movie that explore some of the rules on the night of All Hallows’ Eve. It’s not a movie that will make you jump in surprise or that will make your heart beat at a 100 beats per second but it explore the less common horror genre of the horror movies of the past 20 years. It quickly became a favorite of mine and I can’t go without watching it every year. It also became quite the cult classic for many who saw it.

Next on the list would usually be spending time with friends playing video games or just going to a costume party. While that might still happen this year, this is where things will become even more interesting because this year, there’s something special for gamers to take advantage of: VR Headsets. Yes the virtual reality headsets will bring a new dimension to being scared on Samhain, and there are quite a few games to bring you this amazing experience. While some headsets have been out for a year or two now, it wasn’t readily available to everyone. So here are a few games to get you jumping:

If you own an Oculus Rift and haven’t already tried this game, go for Affected from Fallen Planet Studios. However be warned, if you have any phobias or fears, they may become worse after playing this game. You might never see the world around you the same way again.

For those of us that will own a PlayStation VR headset and wonder how to get on the horror show, Here They Lie might be just what you need this Halloween. It was released at the same time as the headset on October 13th and promises to be quite the experience. This one will bring you to a different world with strange and malevolent creatures. A different type of experience, with a lot of focus on the narrative.

I also have a title for the HTC Vive owners. The Brookhaven Experiment might be just the thing for you if you’d prefer a more classic survival horror experience in an end of the world setting, with zombies chasing you around. Who knows, it might have actually been developed to prepare gamers around the world to survive the real thing.

I could name a so many more games to experience but this should provide a proper experience for your October 31st celebration this year. What are your Halloween traditions and what are you planning to do this year? Share with us below!

This year Nintendo decided not to do an E3 conference or a Nintendo Direct. Instead, they put the viewers in the hands of the Nintendo Treehouse who did a fairly good job in showing us what we wanted to see, and had a few interviews with producers. This is what brings us to this article. You see, the game most wanted to see from Nintendo is the new Legend of Zelda. Before this E3, the game did not yet have a subtitle but as you can guess or see, it was revealed to be officially The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Now this first part will specifically be about what was revealed and showed by Nintendo at E3. The second part will be my analysis and opinion on this new entry.

I’ll start with the obvious: it’s a huge new world. Everything Nintendo showed of the game required no loading unless they were entering specific buildings. We will get back to the buildings later in the article. This new entry is an open world game like you have never seen with a Legend of Zelda. You can explore and interact with the world and you don’t have to worry about changing maps. It’s also alive, grass moves, small animals run around and enemies live and have their own habitations. You will find various enemies and tons of ruins. You also have a new device in the form of a book that allows you to collect runes. These let you do different things and help you solve puzzles. You can mount wild horses and use it to go around. You also have some type of paragliding where you just float toward your destination and you even go on a small raft to cross a lake or a river. It’s a mysterious world and Nintendo kept it that way. They avoided as much as possible in regards to any spoilers on the story but we do know who the final boss is. If you prefer avoiding spoilers, that’s good because I do to and will not mention the boss any further. A staple that does come back is Link waking up. It is something you are used to by now if you’ve played previous titles.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will also bring an actual inventory, which you can fill with various weapons, clothing and other things you’ll find in the wild. There is no more cutting grass to find rupees or hearts. You’ll gain back life by eating various plants or by cooking. Yes, there’s a basic type of crafting that allows you to cook meals that will bring you different benefits like extra temporary life or protection against the cold. You can also break weapons and shields after using them and you can find back the same thing over and over. It was also confirmed there would be merchants but they didn’t go into details. From what they have showed, you’ll have a very cold region with ice and snow that requires you to protect yourself while you’ll also visit very warm place. You can even cut trees to make bridges or even just for wood. I mentioned buildings; well there are shrines that play an important role it seems. While we do not have the whole picture or the background to the shrines, it seems most of the puzzle solving will be inside them and you’ll be rewarded after you finish every shrine. These shrines were so far the only time we saw loading time unless you died and was put back to a spawn point. Link is also able to climb walls and mountains. Using a limited stamina, you’ll be able to climb a cliff to reach a higher position but there will also be time that you will not be able to do so.

The game will also support Amiibo. There will be 3 new Amiibo for the game itself and the game will be compatible with the Wolf Link Amiibo for those of you who bought The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Wii U. The Wolf Link Amiibo will have a wolf show up as a hunting companion for a limited time. You can call him back as well but it will have a timer. The other Amiibo were shown but we have no details on what they’ll do. There will be a Link Archer so holding a bow with one of those special arrows you saw in the first teaser. There will be a Link Rider so on a horse with a drawn sword and you’ll have the mechanical golem like creature called a guardian with arms that you can move and put as you’d like. These 3 pieces are most likely to release at the same time as the game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is slate to release in March 2017 and will be available on the Wii U and Nintendo NX. More on Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Part 2!

It’s the year 2205, Earth has a pending an energy crisis and you are recruited by Global Union to participate in the Lunar Licensing Program. Your goal: Colonize the moon and help in the development of a fusion energy reactor to avert the pending crisis. Your corporation will need to establish itself on earth and get ready for launch into space! This is what Anno 2205 is about.

This is troubling premise, but Earth overall still looks fabulous. The game already informs you a bit on what happened, since the events in Anno 2070. A.I. are now lacking personality and is rather boring. You’ll also find remnants of the previous game during your gameplay but there’s a lot more to discover. First, while the game looks similar, there’s quite a few differences from the previous title. Production based building can all be expanded with modules to help with the production itself or reduce cost in energy, maintenance and others. Building for the population also can be upgraded when they meet the requirements, and you’ll have special buildings only available with certain projects that will provide you bonus resources or simply cosmetics. There’s also a complete trade system and you can build across several regions. The game does feature naval combat once more however, they are separated in missions that you need to access individually. You also do not build a fleet but you must rather use the one provided. You unlock this as your corporation grows and as you gain experience as a military commander. There’s a few more things that you can discover while playing that I will let you discover for yourself.

Anno 2205 in itself is good. It’s what I expect and like of the Anno series. However it’s missing something that you had in previous titles; The story doesn’t have the same depth. You create a corporation, you build up and gather to research space launch and you go to the moon to construct a reactor. It’s just basic. Once you’ve done all that, you’re left to your own device and then you can try to do all the achievements which amounts to quite a lot. Another option is to just buy additional sectors to construct more cities for your corporation. Unlike Anno 2070, you do not have to restart every time because it’s a world map; however I would have preferred restarting to the lack of story. The mechanics are good, the balance is there and it’s overall a good simulation. The music and the graphics are great and the voice acting is as usual welcomed but nothing spectacular. The cut scenes are great and well done, you’d almost wish the game was all like the initial cut scene but it is not. The new features make sense, but there is a lack of explanation on the way things evolved in the universe and how you reached that point. Don’t misunderstand me, there’s a bit of a background to a few things but it’s missing the overall history of the 135 years in between both titles.

With any simulation games, it also means you’ll probably spend close to a hundred hours in Anno 2205. That is if it doesn’t bug on you and you have to restart. Particularly when it blocks the main mission which is the only reason why you go through all the trouble of the different regions. Yes the arctic sector provides a challenge with the heat requirement to bring the population in, and yes the moon has a shield requirement for the same reason but in the end, it’s the same gimmick and it’s just a restriction that is easily circumvent when you know city management games. If you happen to go further than the initial game, everything you’ve unlocked will follow you so you can do better planning as you will be able to use things you were struggling for before that. But is it worth it? Is it worth it to spend close to a hundred hours in a game that deceivingly lacks in story? I have to say maybe. I like this type of game and I liked Anno 2070. I came into this game knowing what Anno 2070 was like but I felt disappointed by this missing element. I’m glad I played it, I’ll probably go back to Anno 2205 if there’s expansions but otherwise, it is now shelved in my steam library and I doubt I will go back to it anytime soon. Maybe in a few years when I want to re-explore a few games here and there. So can I recommend this? My answer, not if you don’t know the series. Go play Anno 2070 instead; you’ll get more out of it than you will with Anno 2205.

The Verdict

Gameplay: 8.1

The gameplay is good, it’s what the series came to be for me and it’s what I expected.

Presentation: 5.5

The lack of story is simply bothering me. While everything else is fine, the missing efforts in a story make it a lot more difficult to enjoy.

Value: 7.5

You’ll spend about a hundred hours in the game for sure but there’s no other mode and you will most likely never return to it.

Overall Score

Canada Day is a day of celebration and while most will be out doing just that, some of us will still prefer to be able to game. There is a way to do that. Instead of leaving your little gaming heaven behind, bring your mobile device, 3DS or PS Vita with you and game during the celebrations. If you do not know what you could potentially play, here is a list of games to bring with you during your celebrations.

Oh right, and my editor wants me to clarify something. We are in no way responsible for any behavior when you game and drink. Game responsibly and protect your devices from spills. Beer and phones do not work well together, don’t even try.

Mobile device (Android/iOS):

Fallout Shelter

If you’ve played this yet, or haven’t, fear not! New content has been released. This means it’s the perfect time to go fix the shelter that you left behind or to start a completely new shelter instead. You can definitely kill a lot of time with this one while you’re least favorite band is playing on stage.

Tales of Link

If you are not familiar with this one, it’s part of the Tales of series. If that does not ring a bell it’s alright, even without knowing the series, the game is fairly simple and involve old school 2D RPG turn based battles. It’s a lot of fun and you can customize your equipment and weapons. Go check it out; it will be perfect for ignore annoying in-laws.

Star Wars: Uprising

Fan of Star Wars, this game is for you. You might be outside but it does not mean you can’t enjoy some good times. Make a character and explore this side of the galaxy not seen in the movies. Discover the mysteries of what is happening after the defeat of the Emperor. The benefit is that any fans of Star Wars will spur you to continue the story or will play with you directly, so more excuses to not socialize.

Nintendo 3DS :

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire / Omega Ruby

Pokemon games are a trademark and there’s always someone somewhere that will have it with them. Play it at the city celebration or near your home. Heck you don’t need anyone in person now, just have an internet connection and battle away. Who said you couldn’t catch em all on Canada day eh?

Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS

Sometimes, you can’t avoid it, you need a quick fix. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is there to help you out. You’ll be able to do a quick battle and go back to the festivities or better challenge your friends and make a small tournament. This will be a new tradition to celebrate Canada day!

Final Fantasy Explorers

Final Fantasy is always a staple in RPG and they usually will keep you going for quite some time. More so when you want something you could do for a few hours without getting tired. This one also has a multiplayer mode over WiFi and internet so you can always get others to join your adventure, and do like our forefathers and explore a new world.

PS Vita:

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Yes more Star Wars. This one however you can’t miss. It has been declared cannon and contains information on the universe and the different stories that were not seen in the movies. And to make it even better, it’s a LEGO game. It’s bound to be funny, interesting and it’s Star Wars. Why on Canada Day? I say why not! You need to have your own kind of fun and a good laugh.

Child of Light

This may be an older game but it mixes platformers and RPG in one, and those are always fun to play. If you have not yet picked this up, it’s definitely highly recommended. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, it is the perfect Canadian game on this day of celebration and if you didnt know the composer, her name is Coeur de Pirate, and she’s a French Canadian singer-songwriter.

Nuclear Throne

Now why a Dutch game you may ask? It’s one of the few shoot ‘em up rogue-like games I like. In addition, it’s on the Vita so it means you can bring it everywhere. The game is insanely fun and I can just lose myself in it. If you’re stuck at work during Canada Day, this could be a good way for you to celebrate when everyone else is gone.

LOS ANGELES, June 14, 2016 – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild represents the next great boundary-breaking adventure from Nintendo. The game marks a new pinnacle for the franchise, and today Nintendo gave the world its first look at the immense, living and breathing world of the Wii U version of the game at the E3 video game trade show in Los Angeles. The game challenges and surprises players at every turn, while giving them incredible freedom to explore the massive world found in this open-air adventure.

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild breaks boundaries for the franchise and for games as a whole,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “Where you go, how you get there, the order in which you do it, and the items, weapons and approaches used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies are all up to you.”

Today Nintendo gave fans just a taste of how The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes the franchise to new heights. Nintendo’s booth at E3 immerses attendees in the world of the game. As E3 attendees investigate Hyrule, they can explore the game any way they want because the world is so vast and players are not required to take a pre-determined path. This sense of freedom and vastness will truly come alive in the final game when the experience isn’t limited by the restrictions of a show floor demo.

During a Nintendo Treehouse: Live demo, Nintendo showed that heroic Link needs to be resourceful as he explores his environment. It’s important for players to become familiar with their surroundings so they can find weapons or collect them from defeated enemies. Food helps Link sustain his hearts and can give him a temporary boost or ability that will sustain him.

The game breaks with some conventions from the series. For example, many of the minor enemies are no longer scattered randomly around the world, as many now live together in colonies. Link can climb towers and massive structures to get a bearing on his surroundings. He can even reach the top of mountains – any mountain he can see, he can climb. He can paraglide to lower areas or even use his shield to slide down a mountain. Link will travel across fields, through forests and to mountain peaks.

The game’s wild world surrounds Link, and he must pay attention to changes in climate, as a shift in weather or temperature can affect the environment and his ability to survive in it. A sudden downpour might douse a roaring campfire or a lightning storm might be attracted to Link’s metallic weapons. Players might need to bundle up with warmer clothes or change into something better suited to the desert heat.

More than 100 Shrines of Trials dot the landscape, waiting for players to discover and explore them in any order they want. As players work their way through the traps and puzzles inside, they’ll earn special items and other rewards that will help them on their adventure. Puzzles in the game often have multiple answers, and secrets can be found everywhere. Exploration and discovery are a huge part of the fun.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is scheduled to launch simultaneously for both the Wii U console and Nintendo’s next system, code-named NX, in 2017. The game also includes compatibility with amiibo, which are sold separately. Nintendo announced a new series of amiibo figures specific to the game that includes Link with a bow (“Archer”), Link on horseback (“Rider”), and a “Guardian” that is the first amiibo with flexible parts. The existing Wolf Link amiibo works with the game as well: When players tap a Wolf Link amiibo to the Wii U GamePad controller, Wolf Link will attack enemies on his own and help players to hunt. He has three hearts, unless players carry over save data from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Wolf Link disappears when his hearts run out. Details can be found at http://e3.nintendo.com/amiibo/.

While The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is clearly the star of Nintendo’s presence at E3, Nintendo Treehouse: Live also gave Pokémon fans something to go wild about this morning: the world premiere of live gameplay from Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, the seventh, and newest, era of the core Pokémon series. The games*, made for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, include new Pokémon, a new Pokédex, a new region and a new battle format to enhance the Pokémon experience in almost every way.

In the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon games, players embark on a new adventure as a Pokémon Trainer. They catch, battle and trade new Pokémon characters on the tropical islands of the Alola Region, which is comprised of four islands rich in natural beauty and an artificial island.

Players can choose from one of three new Partner Pokémon (Rowlet, Litten and Popplio) and discover the mystery behind the Legendary Pokémon (Solgaleo and Lunala).

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon launch Nov. 18. More information on the games can be found at Pokemon.com/SunMoon, and a video showing today’s reveal can be found at YouTube.com/Pokemon.

Anyone who wants to keep tabs on Nintendo’s activities at E3 from afar can keep an eye on Nintendo Treehouse: Live at http://e3.nintendo.com, or on Nintendo’s YouTube or Twitch channels. The remainder of today’s show will be dedicated to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The final day of Nintendo Treehouse: Live begins at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, June 15, and will primarily offer a showcase of previously announced Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games, including Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE (June 24), Monster Hunter Generations from Capcom (July 15), Paper Mario: Color Splash (Oct. 7) and Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (2016). Additionally, viewers will get their first look at a new Mario Party game for Nintendo 3DS that includes additions and changes to make it much more fast-paced and portable-friendly – players no longer have to wait for their turn, as everyone moves at once. Mario Party Star Rush launches Nov. 4.

Also on Nov. 4, Nintendo will launch new amiibo in the Super Mario series. The collection will feature the debut of amiibo figures for Daisy, Waluigi and Boo – and the Boo amiibo figure glows in the dark! The collection also introduces new poses for Wario, Rosalina, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong.

As a special treat for fans, Nintendo eShop is offering discounts of up to 40 percent for some of its most popular games between 11 a.m. PT on June 14 and 8:59 a.m. PT on June 21. Even better, My Nintendo members who have signed in, linked their Nintendo Network IDs and visited Nintendo eShop at least once before purchase get an extra 10 percent off the already-discounted price on select titles. Discounts have been applied to dozens of games, including multiple games in The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon series, as well as a number of Virtual Console games. For a full list of games, more information about the sale and the ability to purchase the games directly from the website, please visithttp://e3.nintendo.com/sale.

My Nintendo members will find some new website missions related to The Legend of Zelda at https://my.nintendo.com/missions. For a limited time, My Nintendo members who sign in are challenged to explore Nintendo’s E3 website to find items that will earn them My Nintendo points.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.4 billion video games and more than 693 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.ca

About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visitwww.pokemon.com.

The last conference before E3 begins is Sony and oh how they love their theatrics. The pre-show had a few announcements but the show started with a live orchestra. The orchestra played all the music during the conference.

Now to the gaming, it started with the new God of War 4. No date announced but a full live gameplay demo was presented.

Another surprise tonight is Days Gone! A new game that looks to be based on The Last of Us universe.

The Last Guardian is again part of the show and with an official release date: October 25th 2016.

If you what Horizon Zero Dawn might be, you will love this. A new trailer showing gameplay was introduced today with crafting and mounts. Best of all, the game is releasing on February 28th 2017.

The Sony conference had more exclusive to show us tonight. Detroit: Become Human had barely been shown before today ,but we got treated to a new trailer.

Now for some PSVR news. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be fully playable with PSVR. PS4 exclusive and will release on January 24th 2017. A demo is available now for PS Plus members.

With this also came the announcement that PSVR will release on October 13th 2016. More than 50 games will be available for PSVR by the end of the year including this game called Here They Lie which will release this fall.

More PSVR games, and this one is called Farpoint. Not much is known but it’s a sci-fi game set on an unknown planet.

Because this was the PSVR segment, here is another. It was the official announcement of the new and PS4 exclusive Star Wars Battlefront X-Wing mission and will release this holiday exclusively on PS VR

We’re not done with the VR. The next title is a surprising one. It’s called Batman: Arkham VR and it’s a PS4 exclusive. You’ll be able to play this title in October 2016.

Last PSVR title in this segment is called… Final Fantasy XV. Yes you heard right, Final Fantasy XV will have some PS VR support. This game is set to release on September 30th.

Something that is now part of the PlayStation showing is Call of Duty and there was no exception with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. The game is set to release on November 4th 2016 on PC, PS4 and XBO. With this was also announced a 30 days timed exclusive for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered.

Here is news that will only half satisfy fans. Crash Bandicoot is coming back to PlayStation. Crash Bandicoot 1, 2 and Warped will be fully remastered from the ground up for PlayStation 4. Crash Bandicoot will also come first to PlayStation 4 in Skylanders Imaginators which will release on October 16th 2016.

It was a busy night with Sony. We got reminded that Lego Star Wars: The Force Awaken is releasing on June 28th 2016 with a new trailer.

Fear not, while the conference was soon coming to an end, the next presentation was done by none other than Hideo Kojima and yes it is his new game. It’s called Death Stranding starring Norman Reedus.

If you were wondering about Insomniac Games next big title, the wait is over. That’s right, while there have been rumors in the past. It has now been confirmed that Spider-Man will be making his way to the PS4.

And as the conference ended, we were treated with a live demo of Days Gone. It’s really reminiscent of both Dying Light and The Last of Us.

Based on the video below, E3’s Best games are on PS4 and PSVR:

You can watch the whole Sony conference, to see anything we could not show you, right here:

Continuing on our series on the 2016 E3 announcements, we will look at what Ubisoft had to offer. They are celebrating their 30 year anniversary this year, making 2016 a big year for Ubisoft.

They kicked off their celebration at the conference by announcing Just Dance 2017 which includes “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. It will come to all platforms in October 2016 and in 2017 for Nintendo NX.

Following that announcement is Ghost Recon: Wildlands, which was announced last year. This year the announcement came with a new trailer as well as a gameplay demo. The game is set to release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2017.

A whole new trailer for South Park: The Fractured but Whole was released today. The first gameplay demo was also presented which showed some new features and powers for players to explore. The game will release for PC, PS4 and Xbox One on December 6th 2016.

If you’re caught up on the events of the Microsoft conference, you know that The Division’s Underground expansion is releasing on June 28th 2016 for Xbox One and PC; PS4 will see the new expansion in August. The second expansion was officially announced and it is called Survival.

For those of you who are VR fans, there are some new titles for you coming up. The first one, called Eagle Flight, which was announced back in 2015, is a competitive game where you fly an eagle and score points by catching rabbits. It will be available for VR only, including the PS VR in 2016. A surprise VR title coming from Ubisoft is called Star Trek: Bridge Crew. The game will release this fall on all VR devices.

If you’ve been waiting for more news about For Honor, you’ll be pleased to know it will release on February 14th 2017 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. New features were announced, including siege, and some more details on the factions were also released. You can sign up for their alpha at forhonor.ubisoft.com.

A new title from Ubisoft called Grow Up is coming; it is the sequel to Grow Home. The game will release in August 2016 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

They introduced a launch trailer for an previously unannounced title, called Trials of the Blood Dragon. The game is a mix between Trials and FarCry 3: Blood Dragon and it is available now on PC, PS4 and XBO.

If you are interested in hearing more about the Assassin’s Creed Movie, please make sure to watch the Ubisoft conference video at the bottom of this article, as they had an exclusive interview with producer Frank Marshal.

For Watch_Dogs 2 fans, Ubisoft presented a new gameplay walkthrough, which showcased a Dedsec infiltration mission. The game will be released on November 15th 2016.

For those who need a winter sports fix, Steep is for you. Set in Mount Blanc, players will be able to paraglide, snowboard, and ski. The game will feature replay options and challenges and will be released in December 2016 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. You can register for beta at steepgame.com.

That concludes Ubisoft’s presentation for the 2016 E3 Conference. You can catch the whole conference in the video below.

Keep a look out for the next article in our E3 series where we look at what Sony had to offer today.

Today was the second day of the 2016 E3 Conference, let’s have a look at what Microsoft had to show us this year.

They started the show with the unveiling of the Xbox One S, which was not a big surprise thanks to yesterday’s massive leak. The Xbox One S is a 40% smaller version of the original console that offers 4k graphics, HDR, and blu ray support. The Xbox One S will be available August 2016 starting at $299 for the 500GB unit and $399 for the 2TB unit.

Microsoft followed up the previous announcement by introducing Xbox Play. This is a program which will allow gamers to play games with their gamer tag on both Windows 10 and Xbox One.

The first game this will be available for is Gears of War 4; which will support cross play. A new elite controller will be released with the Gears of War colour scheme. Gears of War 4 will be released for Windows 10 and Xbox One on October 11th 2016.

Killer Instinct Season 3 is available now for both Windows 10 and Xbox One. The game is free to play this week and will be available for Xbox Play when the program is launched in November 2016.

The Forza Horizon 3 trailer was also premiered at the event. The newest addition to the Forza game series will take place in Australia and be available for both Windows 10 and Xbox One. The game will release on September 27th 2016.

ReCore will be part of Xbox play as well. The game will be available to Windows 10 and Xbox One on September 13th 2016.

A new gameplay demo for Final Fantasy XV called the “Trial of Titan” was presented. The game will release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on September 30th 2016.

Also, a timed exclusive expansion for The Division will be released on June 28th 2016 for Xbox One. The expansion is called “Underground”. No word on when it will release for PC or PS4 but more details are sure to follow in the Ubisoft conference later today.

In case you missed the Battlefield 1 trailer yesterday, it was presented again today. Battlefield 1 will release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on October 21st 2016.

Xbox One will have new features coming this summer. The console will let you listen to music in the background while playing, users will have language independence, and users will no longer have restrictions based on their region. Cortana is also coming to Xbox One. Another feature to look forward to is the ability to form clubs on Xbox Live. A new “looking for group” feature will be introduced and the Arena platform will enable players from around the world to sign up for tournaments across a variety of games, including EA Sports games.

Minecraft is getting an update today called the Friendly update. It enable cross platform play between iOS, Android, and Windows. With that feature comes dedicated servers which will let your friends access your world at any time. Texture packs will also be released in the coming months. There will be more to come at MineCon in September.

A new game from the creators of Limbo was introduced. It’s called Inside and it will be coming to Xbox One on June 29th 2016. Limbo is also free for all Xbox One users starting today.

A massive presentation for ID@Xbox. Over 15 titles are shown in this rather short presentation.

Ark Survivals owners on Xbox One will be happy to know that it will become an Xbox Play title this fall.

We Happy Few is also a new title coming to Xbox One. It will be a timed exclusive and part of the Xbox Game Preview on July 26th 2016.

If you are a fan of The Witcher, or more particularly the Gwent card game, you will be happy to know that it is coming as a standalone card game to PC and consoles; it will also include a single player campaign. It’s a timed exclusive for PC and Xbox One and will release in September 2016. Go to playgwent.com for beta sign up.

A new Tekken will also be released in early 2017 and will include a single player campaign. It will be released for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Xbox Live Gold members can grab a free Tekken Tag Tournament 2 right now.

Dead Rising 4 will be released in the 2016 holiday season and will be part of Xbox Play.

Scalebound gameplay footage was also presented today. This is also a Xbox Play title and will be released sometime in 2017.

Sea of Thieves is now part of the Xbox Play program and today we were able to see the first ever gameplay demo.

State of Decay 2 was officially announced and it will be a part of the Xbox Play program.

Halo Wars 2 is now official. Players can expect a new faction and new aliens. It will be part of Xbox Play and will be released on February 21st 2017. A week long beta is available now on Xbox One.

The last part of the Microsoft presentation was the long rumoured Project Scorpio. It is slated to be released in time for the 2017 holiday season and will include 6 teraflop of power and use 4K graphics; the game will also support VR.